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Renalyn Ramirez - Philstar.com
June 23, 2026 | 6:33pm
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the administration failed to recognize the need for intelligence gathering and threat identification before the deadly Tacloban school shooting.
In a statement, Duterte said the loss of young lives in the incident should serve as a “wake-up call” for the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure safety and security in schools.
“This tragedy also exposes the failure of the government to recognize the importance of intelligence gathering and identifying threats before lives are lost. We cannot continue reacting only after another child is hurt or killed,” Duterte said.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro pushed back on Duterte’s “intelligence gathering” remark, stressing that the individuals involved in the incident were students.
“Hindi sila mga terorista,” Castro said. “Sila ay mga estudyanteng mukhang hindi umano’y gumon lang sa online gaming na marahas.”
(They are not terrorists. They are students who were allegedly addicted to violent online games.)
Violent content, online groups eyed
The Philippine National Police released during the Malacañang press briefing on Tuesday, June 23, the initial results of its investigation into the school shooting in Tacloban City.
The PNP identified the suspects, alias Rod, 15, and alias Nash, 14, as children in conflict with the law.
Authorities recovered two firearms from them: a .38-caliber Armscor revolver owned by a security agency in Cebu City and a 9 mm Glock 17 issued to a policewoman assigned to Police Regional Office 8.
Authorities said the minors fired at least 34 bullets, resulting in 23 casualties. Three people were killed, 15 sustained gunshot wounds and five others suffered non-firearm-related injuries.
Based on the initial assessment of authorities, the minors were heavily influenced by violent online content. Authorities also found indications that they belonged to online communities or groups that may have influenced them to commit the act.
“Meron po kaming nakita, aside from his own post na mga violent videos, meron pa pong tinitignan tayo na iba pang grupo na kinakasalihan niya na pwedeng nag-udyok sa kanya para gawin ito,” PNP spokesperson Allan Rae Co said.
(We saw, aside from his own posts of violent videos, other groups he may have joined that we are looking into because these may have pushed him to do this.)
Co said investigators are not yet ruling out bullying as a possible angle despite the recent findings, as they do not consider the possible triggers “mutually exclusive.”
Regulating internet, gaming apps
Malacañang, meanwhile, said the government is considering proposals to regulate internet use by minors to prevent them from accessing violent content. A possible ban on violent gaming applications in the Philippines is also being studied.
“Napag-usapan po yan. Nai-report nga po na itong mga batang ito ay gumon sa paglalaro ng online gaming na marahas. So napag-usapan po na yung mga ganoong klaseng app na ma-ban sa Pilipinas,” Castro said.
(That was discussed. It was reported that these children were addicted to violent online games. So a ban on those kinds of apps in the Philippines is being considered.)
Castro said interventions to protect the welfare of young people and prevent further acts of violence should not depend on the government alone.
“Ito naman po ay hindi lang sa gobyerno dapat manggaling kundi pati sa mga magulang, sa mga guardian, sa mga guro kung papaano natin din ihuhubog ang ating mga kabataan. Lalong-lalo na ngayon na talagang medyo mararahas yung napapanood natin sa social media,” Castro said.
(This should not come from the government alone, but also from parents, guardians and teachers, in terms of how we guide the youth, especially now that much of the content seen on social media is violent.)
